Trough hatch cover and operating mechanism



y 1966 c. R. RADEY ETAL 3,

TROUGH HATCH COVER AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 14, 1964 4Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS CHARLES R. RADEY JOHN HOLDEN JR. XLQQI July 5,1966 c. R. RADEY ETAL THOUGH HATCH COVER AND OPERATING MECHANISM FiledSept. 14, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I0 INVENTORS CHARLES R. RADEY JOHNHOLDEN JR 1 g I J (7i m ATT'YS.

July 1966 c. R. RADEY ETAL TROUGH HATCH COVER AND OPERATING MECHANISM 4Sheets-Sheet .5

Filed Sept. 14, 1964 INVENTORS CHARLES R. RADEY JOHN HOLDEN JR ATT'YSJuiy 5, 1966 c. R. RADEY ETAL TROUGH HATCH COVER AND OPERATING MECHANISM4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Filed Sept. 14, 1964 CHARLES R. RADEY JOHN HOLDEN JR.

BY I

United States Patent 3,259,078 T ROUGH HATCH COVER AND OPERATINGMECHANISM Charles R. Radey, Michigan City, Ind., and John Holden,

Jan, Cuyahoga Falls, (lhio, assignors to Pullman Incorporated, Chicago,11]., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 396,332 2Claims. (Cl. 105377) This invention is directed to improvements inhopper vehicles particularly those of the type provided with elongatedhatch openings closed off by a hinged hatch cover plate and having meansassociated therewith whereby when the hatch cover plate is unlocked, itwill be automatically biased to an open position exposing the hopper orhoppers covered and permitting unimpaired filling.

More specifically, the present invention deals with a new and improvedhopper car having an elongated hatch opening with arcuate end portionswhich is covered by a hatch cover of similar shape. Suitable meansco-operates with the hatch cover and car to automatically bias the hatchcover to an open position in the absence of external forces. Automaticopening of the hatch cover when unlocked not only enhances the ease withwhich the hatch cover may be raised and lowered but also serves tomaintain the hatch cover in the open position so that loading may beeffected with optimum ease.

Covered hopper vehicles such as hopper-type railway cars of usual designare provided with a plurality of longitudinally aligned hoppers havingmaterial discharge portions at the lower end of each. In the use of suchcars, loading is accomplished through an overhead type of movable chutewith the material being fed to the hopper through a hatch opening incommunication with a hopper. A hatch cover is hingedly attached to thecar and may expose a single hopper or a plurality of hoppers dependingupon its length. For obvious reasons, the length is kept withinreasonable dimensions. The present hatch cover is provided with arcuateend portions joined by a rectangular center section having an over-allexterior contour which is an elongated race track pattern. The use ofarcuate end portions permits the covers for the hopper car to bemanufactured with greater economy than was experienced in the past,while providing a cover arrangement which contributes to the structuralrigidity of the roof portion of the car. In addition, the hatch cover ofthe present invention provides a superior type of resistance to theweather when provided with gaskets available on the open market.

An analysis of the more prominent objects stated below and the detaileddescription which follows will exemplify the importance of theadvantages stated as well as pointing out additional benefits obtainedby the present construction.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedcover arrangement for a hopper car hatch opening including an operatingmeans for ready and efficient hatch cover opening and closing.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved hatch cover arrangement for use on hopper cars wherein thehatch cover and opening are shaped in a novel manner to provide greateststructural rigidity at the opening, best weather tightness underexpected conditions, and a universal design which permits the hatchcovers to be made of any desired length without requiring special diesor the like.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a hatch cover forhopper cars having a uniquely mounted torsion bar arrangement whichenhances the opening and closing of the hatch cover.

Other objects not specifically stated will become ap- "ice parent tothose skilled in the art when a detailed description of the invention ismade in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fragmentary upper end portion of ahopper car including the hatch cover and operating arrangement of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the hatch cover and operatingarrangement illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged elevational view of the hatch cover and operatingarrangement of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the lines 4-4 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of the locking arrangementtaken generally along the lines 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken along lines 66 ofFIG. 2 illustrating the attachment of the strap hinge operatively joinedto the torsion bar;

FIG. 7 is an end elevational view with portions of the hatch shown insection taken generally along the lines 7-7 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of a hatch cover similar to FIG. 2illustrating a modified form of operating means;

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view facing the hinges of the hatch shownin FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along the lines 1010of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along the lines 11-11of FIG. 8 illustrating the torsion bar adjustment.

In FIG. 1 of the drawings, reference numeral 10 denotes a fragmentaryupper end portion of a hopper car having the usual hoppers designated at11 (only the end one of which is shown) suitably shaped to directmaterial downwardly into discharge openings formed in the bottom of thecar. The top of the hopper car 10 is closed off with a roof portionformed by roof sheets indicated generally at 12. Centrally of the roofportion 12 is formed an opening (not shown) around which is placed ahatch coaming 13. The hatch coaming 13 is adapted for cooperation with ahatch cover indicated at 14, the latter being operatively joined to ahatch cover operating means indicated generally at 15. The constructionof the hatch cover and associated operating means will be described withgreater specificity in the description of FIGS. 2-11 below.

Suitable locking means 16 serve to draw the hatch cover 14 downwardlyinto tight engagement with the hatch coaming 13, when filling of thehopper car is completed, sealing off the hatch opening of the hopper car10 against the elements. An elastomeric gasket 39 is interposed betweenthe arcuate upper edge of the coaming 13 and the underside of the cover14 to perfect the seal. The shape of the hatch cover 14 provides forsubstantially uniform pressure at all points around the hatch coamingfor sealing perfection. This permits products which would normally bedamaged or destroyed by contact with the elements to be transported inbulk with minimum effort.

Referring now to the enlarged views of FIGS. 2 and 3, the more detailedfeatures of the present invention can be readily appreciated. The hatchcover 14, when viewed in plan, is of elongated design having arcuate endportions. Expressed another way, the outline is of race track shape.

In the manufacture of hatch covers 14, a central rectangular section 17is joined to the semicircular end portions 18 and 19 to form the hatchcover 14. In this manner, the hatch cover can be made to any specifiedsize by merely increasing the length of the rectangular center section17. The present design permits the semicircular scribed above. over themarginal edge of the hatch cover 14 and termistruction to the hingeretainers 22 and 23.

end portions 18 and 19 to be fabricated in the same die in order to keepmanufacturing costs at a m nimum.

A pair of strap hinges 20 and 21 are joined to the ,hatchcover throughhinge retainers 22 and 23 welded to the central portion of the hatchcover 14. The center section of the hatch cover 14 may be raised as at24 to provide the usual slope required to shed water.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the configuration of the strap hingeconstruction in endwise elevation is more clearly seen. The strap hinge21 is provided with a depressed center section 25 to receive the hingeretainer 23 for welding to the hatch cover 14 in the manner de- Thestrap hinge 21 extends downwardly nates in an outwardly projectingflange 26 which co-operates with the locking means 16.

The locking means 16 includes a hatch coaming supported L-shaped bracket27 which curls into longitudinally spaced upstanding lugs 28 and 29.Additional upstanding lugs 30 and 31 are formed inwardly of and parallelto the upstanding lugs 28 and 29'. The lugs 28-31 are provided withalignedapertures for reasons to become ap- 7 parent. a locking handle 32movable downwardly between the spaced lugs 28 and 30. A retainer bolt orpin 33 is rej which are suitably joined as by Welding to the roof sheetsof the hopper car 10. The hinge brackets 34 and 35 may conform with theconfiguration of the hatch coaming 13 at their inner edges if desired tofacilitate ease of joining to the coaming 13. Hinge bearing members 36and 37 are carried by bearing holders 61 and 62 bolted to the brackets34 and 35 and mounts a hinge sleeve 49 which is joined to the torsionbar hinge strap 40 for rotation in the bearing holders 61 and 62.

It is to be appreciated that the hinge construction of the presentinvention is of a relatively simple but exceedingly sturdy designcapable of withstanding the normal abuse anticipated in operationaluse.. In addition,

' the design is advantageous in that it is relatively inexpensive tomanufacture when operational performance is considered.

Lugs 29 and 31 form a hinge to pivotally mount The operating mechanism15 .is best seen in FIGS. 2

l and 3 and includes a torsion bar 38 joined to a torsion 1 bar hingestrap 40 for rotation therewith. The torsion bar hinge strap 40 isattached to the hatch cover 14 by means of a hinge retainer 41 which'isidentical in con- Mounting brackets 34 and 35 position. the hinge strapfor rotary movement by torsion'hinge bearings 63 and 64 which rotatewith the torsion bar 38. The torsion bar 38 passes through the tubularhinge bearing members 36 and 37 and is free to move within the same.

As is seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, torsion bar mounting assemblies 42 and 43are provided outwardly of the hinge the free ends to protect the samefrom impact damage.

and the elements. These housings may be formed of tubular stock such assteel pipe or the like which is readily available on the open market.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the cross sectional construction of onepreferred formof torsion bar is seen.

Torsion bar 38 includes a plurality of stacked plates 44 separated bysuitable spacers 45 at the clamping points.

4 The torsion bar 38'is cla'mpedat the center portion as seen in FIG. 6,to the torsion hinge strap 40 by means of a clamping plate 46 and aplurality of bolts 47. As the torsion hinge strap 40 moves with thehatch cover 14, the torsion bar 38 is rotated at the center sectionwhile the fixed mounting assemblies 42 and 43 restrain the ends againstrotation. A greater appreciation of this can be had by examining FIGS.2-4 and 7 whichillustrate the static position of the torsion bars at thetorsion hinge strap 40 and the fixed torsion mounting assemblies 42 and43 when the hatch cover 14 is closed. The torsion bar is twisted a full90 between the center portion or torsion hinge strap 40 and each of thetorsion anchor assemblies 42 and 43 with the angulation of the sides ofthe torsion bar 38 being slightly in excess of 45 with respect to ahorizontal plane as it passes through the strap hinges 20 and 21. Thisstresses the torsion bar so that on release of the hatch cover 14 itwill automatically open.

As seen in FIG. 7, the torsion bar fixed mounting assembly 42 includes amounting plate 55 which may be welded along the bottom edge to the roofportion 12 v and directly to the hatch coaming 13 along one verticaledge. An L-shaped plate 56 is bolted or Welded to the mounting plate 55and is provided with a longitudinally extending clamping plate 57. Thetorsion bar 38 is clamped between a second clamping plate 58 and thelongitudinal clamping plate 57 by means of a plurality of bolts 59. Inthis manner the free end of the torsion bar 38 is held against rotation.It is to be appreciated that considerable torque is developed duringhatch cover opening and closing, and in order to resist this torque acorner reinforcing plate 60 is provided to strengthen the assembly. Thefixed torsion bar mounting assembly 43 holds the opposite end of thetorsion bar 38 in an identical manner and in the interest of brevity,detailed description will be withheld.

When the hatch cover is in the closed position, the torsion bar 38 istwisted a full 90 relative to each of its free ends. As is Well known,shear modulus is a function of the length and cross sectional area of arod or tube and in the present design the length can be extended toobtain any desired force. Accordingly, the elastic behavior of thetorsion bar may be governed to suit any desired load by merely changingthe length and/ or cross sectional area of the torsion bar. The formermay be readily accommodated by setting the torsion bar mountingassemblies 42 and 43 outwardly with little or no effect on the remainingcomponents.

When the torsion bar 38 is of laminated form as illustrated, adjustmentsin the spacers and substitution of a thicker or thinner lamina formingthe torsion bar member may be conveniently effected to obtain a widerange of torque values, While the remaining components of the hatchcover and operating means remain substantially unchanged.

It is contemplated that the torsion bar 38 will assume purely horizontalplane lying in the opening. These values, of course, will be dependentupon the torsion bar design and the weight of the hatch cover 14 and areonly given as being exemplary of one preferred form.

A modified form of hatch cover and operating means is indicatedgenerally by reference numeral in FIGS. 8

and 9. A hatch cover 81 is constructed in accordance with the principlesoutlined above in conjunction with V 83 as well as the hinge mountingbrackets 84 and 85 for hingedly mounting the cover 81 are of similarconstruction to that described in conjunction with FIGS. 1-7.

In FIGS. 8-11, however, the operating means includes a torsion bararrangement in which the torsion bar is held against rotation at thecenter by a center anchor assembly indicated at 86, with rotationalforces being applied through the hinge straps 82 and 83 to opposite endsof the torsion bar in a manner similar toapplication of rotationalforces through the tors-ion bar hinge strap 40 shown in FIGS. 1-7.

Hinge brackets 84 and 85 are provided to rotatably support the hingestraps 82 and 83 through a pair of spaced bearing supports 87 and 88which receive bearings 89 and 90. Each of the bearings 89 and 90 is ofexternal annular configuration having a central rectangular slot forreception of a torsion bar 91 of the type shown fragmentarily in FIGS.and 11 and described above. A pair of elongated tubular housings 92 and93 encase the torsion bar between the free ends extending from therespective hing strap 82 and 83 to the center support or anchor assembly86. The detailed manner of mounting the housings 92 and 93 to permitfreedom of torsion bar movement will be given below.

As best seen in FIGS. 8l1 the center anchor assembly 86 includes a pairof mounting brackets 94 and 95 supporting torsion bar mounting plates 96and 97 which carry torsion bar bearing means 98 and 99 in bearingreceiving openings 100 and 101. Each of the bearings 98 and 99 isprovided with an outwardly facing counterbored portion 102 whichreceives the tubular housings 92 and 93 with a tight fit. The torsionbar 91 may be of laminar form such as was described in connection withFIGS. 1-7 and is clamped at the center by means of a longitudinallyslotted block 102 bolted to a top clamping plate 103 with suitableclamping spacers 104 encasing the torsion bar 91 between the bearingsupports 96 and 97.

A tongue-like rotary stop 105 projects downwardly from the slotted block102 for co-operation with adjustably mounted fixed stops 106 and 107.The stops 106 and 107 extend continuously between the bearing supports96 and 97, being held by a washer 108 and 109 welded at opposite ends.Each of the stops 106 and 107 are carried in elongated slots provided inthe bearing supports 96 and 97 which permit adjustment at assembly toobtain the desired torsional stress in the appropriate position.

The tongue-like rotary stop 105 is free to move between the fixed stops106 and 107 with the total included angle of movement being governed bythe position of the stops. When the hatch cover is in the closedposition as shown in solid lines, the center anchor assembly 86 assumesthe position shown in solid lines with the tongue 105 being urgedagainst the stop 107. On release of the hatch cover 81, it moves to theposition shown fragmentarily in phantom lines at 81 with the hinge strappositioned as shown at 83' in phantom lines also. In this position, thetongue-like rotary stop 105 contacts the inner stop 106 with the torsionbar unstressed. When the movable stops 106 and 107 are spaced theirmaximum an included angle of 60 of free angular movement of the tongue105 is available, which may be reduced by inward adjustment of the stopsif desired. It is contemplated that adjustment of the stops 106 and 107will be effected at manufacture and scoured by welding the washers 108and 109 directly to the hearing supports 96 and 97; however, fieldadjustability could be provided.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 8-11, it is to be appreciated that the hatchcover and operating means 80 may be provided with a similar lockingarrangement to that shown and described in FIGS. 4 and 5. In operationof the embodiment of FIGS. 8-11, release of the locking mechanismpermits the hatch cover to move to the position shown in phantom linesin FIG. 10. During this movement, slight rotation occurs at the centerof the torsion bar 91 due to the free movement of the tongue whileadditional rotation occurs at the opposite ends which are clamped bymeans of bolts directly to the hinge straps 82 and 83. The torsion barassumes an unstressed condition excepting the stress applied through theweight of the hatch cover 81.

When the hatch cover is lowered under force for locking, the entiretorsion bar 91 rotates initially causing the tongue-like rotary stop 105to engage the stop 107. Continued movement of the hatch cover 81 causesthe torsion bar 91 to be rotated at opposite ends while the fixed anchorsupport 86 holds the center against rotation causing it to be stressedin the manner similar to the embodiment of FIGS. l7.\

It is to be appreciated that the torsion bar arrangement of the presentinvention is capable of providing considerable assistance in handlinghatch covers of great weight. It will become obvious to those skilled inthe art that minor changes can be made without departing from theinventive principles embodied herein. Therefore, any limitations imposedshould be within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A hatch cover and operating arrangement for use on a covered hoppercar comprising an upstanding hatch coaming surrounding an opening formedin a roof covering an upper portion of said car, said hatch coaminghaving a curled upper edge for cooperating with a gasket, a hatch covermounting said gasket and being adapted to close oif said opening byoverlying said coaming, said hatch cover being formed from semicircularend sections joined to opposite ends of a straight center section ofrectangular form, hinge means mounting said hatch cover for pivotingmovement adjacent one side of said hatch coaming, said hinge meansincluding spaced strap hinge means overlying said hatch cover, anoperating means to bias said hatch cover from an open and closedposition in the absence of external forces, said operating meansincluding an elongated torsion bar, means clamping the opposite ends ofsaid torsion bar to said spaced strap hinge means for rotary movementtherewith, rotary stop means clamped to said torsion bar intermediatethe ends thereof for rotary movement therewith as said hatch cover ismoved from the open and closed position, and angularly spaced secondstop means fixed to said roof and in the path of said rotary stop meansand position to apply a predetermined torsion force on said torsion barwhen said hatch cover is in the open and closed positions.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said angularly spacedsecond stop means are adjustably mounted to selectively vary the angularspacing and thereby the torsional force exerted by said torsion bar inthe open and closed position of said hatch cover.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 93 3,070 9/ 1909Gleason. 1,085,422 1/ 1914 Hills. 3,022,536 2/ 1962 Floehr. 3,190,2386/1965 Carney et al. 105377 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Examiner.

1. A HATCH COVER AND OPERATING ARRANGEMENT FOR USE ON A COVERED HOPPERCAR COMPRISING AN UPSTANDING HATCH COAMING SURROUNDING AN OPENING FORMEDIN A ROOF COVERING AN UPPER PORTION OF SAID CAR, SAID HATCH COAMINGHAVING A CURLED UPPER EDGE FOR COOPERATING WITH A GASKET, A HATCH COVERMOUNTING SAID GASKET AND BEING ADAPTED TO CLOSE OFF SAID OPENING BYOVERLYING SAID COAMING, SAID HATCH COVER BEING FORMED FROM SEMICIRCULAREND SECTIONS JOINED TO OPPOSITE ENDS OF A STRAIGHT CENTER SECTION OFRECTANGULAR FORM, HINGE MEANS MOUNTING SAID HATCH COVER FOR PIVOTINGMOVEMENT ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF SAID HATCH COAMING, SAID HINGE MEANSINCLUDING SPACED STRAP HINGE MEANS OVERLYING SAID HATCH COVER, ANOPERATING MEANS TO BIAS SAID HATCH COVER FROM AN OPEN AND CLOSEDPOSITION IN THE ABSENCE OF EXTERNAL FORCES, SAID OPERATING MEANSINCLUDING AN ELONGATED TORSION BAR, MEANS CLAMPING THE OPPOSITE ENDS OFSAID TORSION BAR TO SAID SPACED STRAP HINGE MEANS FOR ROTARY MOVEMENTTHEREWITH, ROTARY STOP MEANS CLAMPED TO SAID TORSION BAR INTERMEDIATETHE ENDS THEREOF FOR ROTARY MOVEMENT THEREWITH AS SAID LATCH COVER ISMOVED FROM THE OPEN AND CLOSED POSITION, AND ANGULARLY SPACED SECONDSTOP MEANS FIXED TO SAID ROOF AND IN THE PATH OF SAID ROTARY STOP MEANSAND POSITION TO APPLY A PREDETERMINED TORSION FORCE ON SAID TORSION BARWHEN SAID HATCH OVER IS IN THE OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS.